Closure delayed for USPS sorting center on N St. Clair in Toledo

April 11, 2015 at 1:34 AM EST - Updated July 27 at 11:25 AM

TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - United States postal workers at the sorting center on North St. Clair Street have been preparing for the center to close completely, but now the closure has been delayed.

Employees at the center were ready to shut down operations on April 18. On April 8, they were told it's not closing just yet.

“I'm glad they're not. I really like it being here, the mail goes fast,” said Jeri Mantey, who uses the St. Clair post office for her job as a courier.

The distribution center has been spared from a full closure this April, but it's still on the chopping block. When it does close, mail will be processed outside Toledo.

“We were advised [Wednesday] that we will remain open. They didn't give us a time frame,” said Arnie Cowell, president of the American Postal Workers Union Local 170.

USPS spokesman David Van Allen says the delayed closure is to ensure a smooth transition for customers. Cowell has his own idea on the matter:

“Personally, what I feel is that they're realizing they can't get the mail down here from Detroit and get it delivered to the people of northwest Ohio in a timely manner,” he said.

The impending closure is just one of several across Ohio. USPS says the closures are to adjust for a 25 percent decline in first-class mail since 2006.

Cowell remains optimistic about the delay.

“Akron – they're still closing their facility on April 18, so Toledo is the only one so far in Ohio that they are not going to close [in April],” he said.

Van Allen says he's not sure of the new date for the closure, but says that information and more will be available